Bad Grades
by Heroes Fly-Minho's Hero Limps
Summary: WTNVH 3: Welcome back, Night Vale High! Today's agenda will be made up of meetings in the hallways, failed tests, and a few new students you've never met before!
1. Chapter 1

-Here's my third Night Vale fic! This one's a bit longer than my other ones, so I really hope you like it! I'd love to share more with you guys so don't be shy; leave a review on what you want to see in this series next :)

Until next time!-

-Bad Grades-

Carlos had a boyfriend. It was a miracle. He had an actual, honest-to-God boyfriend, and that boyfriend was Cecil Palmer. The world was suddenly a whole lot lighter.

People at school stopped teasing him about Cecil, unless it was lighthearted teasing at Cecil's gushing about his boyfriend on the announcements sometimes. Dana ran up to him in Biology with a giant hug for him and a cheer of happiness. They became quick friends. Carlos made a lot of friends then, after Cecil invited him to sit at their lunch table and he hung out with Dana in the marching band. Being new at Night Vale High, Carlos never had many friends, due to both the newness and his nerdiness.

And as for Cecil: he was the sweetest boyfriend Carlos had ever had. In the morning, he stood outside the office before he did announcements, to meet Carlos as he walked in. With Principal Magnus scowling warningly from the windows of the office, Cecil snuck a quick kiss from Carlos and skipped off to talk about the day's events (and Carlos, of course). If Carlos mentioned being cold during classes, Cecil immediately gave him his own hoodie or jacket to borrow. If Carlos said he was having a bad day, Cecil would show up with a hug and hot chocolate or coffee from the school store in the library. He was infinitely kind and caring and loving.

Carlos tried to return the affection as much as he could, because it was hard to keep up with Cecil sometimes. He didn't want Cecil to keep giving without getting anything in return. But Cecil seemed happy to do just that.

It was a good thing too, because that October Friday was the worst Friday of Carlos's life. He was gonna need all the support he could get.

It all started the night before. His parents' anniversary was that day and in the evening, they'd insisted on keeping it a family celebration instead of leaving Carlos left out. They went out to dinner and then a movie afterward. There was a lot of gifts and dreamy looks that Carlos tried to ignore. Anyway, they got back really late that night. Carlos knew he had an American Government test the next day and that that was his hardest class. He knew he should study. But it was so late, and he was so tired, the words started blurring when he tried to read his notes. So he didn't study. And then he failed. A 63% was what he got on that test. 63%! That was a monstrous, horrible F. Carlos had never gotten an F in his life. His parents were going to murder him.

So, there he was, trudging out of Government eighth period with hands in his jeans pockets. The test felt like a heavy weight in his backpack. The black-and-white (those were Night Vale's school colors) hallway around him was filled with teenagers hurrying to their lockers to grab things before going home. Some of them said hi as they passed, but Carlos could barely mumble a response. He was running through the terrible conversation that was bound to happen between his parents later.

They're gonna kill me, he thought gloomily, they're gonna kill me and bury me in the backyard. He felt like his throat was being clogged with cotton all of a sudden. It ached and he realized he was holding back tears. It wasn't just that he was afraid of disappointing his parents. He'd disappointed himself. His grade had dropped from its cling to a 93% to some Godawful grade he didn't want to think about. This day sucked. Carlos wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his gray DROP THE BASE science shirt. He just wanted this mess to be over.

He didn't even realize that he'd walked past the place by the lobby, where he normally met Cecil. That is, until he heard footsteps on the floor, catching up to him and then Cecil's familiar, honeyed voice. "Hey, don't forget about me!" Cecil teased, slinging an arm around Carlos's shoulders. His twilit eyes were bright behind his glasses, and he wore an adorable baggy sweater that matched his mint-green Converses.

Carlos tried for a smile, but it came out wobbly. When he tried to say something, he ended up sniffling.

The happy grin fell off Cecil's face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Government," Carlos mumbled in reply.

With hands on Carlos's shoulders, Cecil stopped them in the lobby and searched Carlos's face. "What happened?" he asked in concern.

"I—I f—failed," Carlos stuttered miserably. The tears were stinging his eyes now and he could feel one welling up to the point of escape down his cheek. "I n—never fail. My parents w—will kill me."

Cecil's expression softened. "C'mere." He wrapped Carlos in a hug, one hand stroking over his tousled, dark hair. Carlos pressed himself gratefully against Cecil's lanky form, burying his face in his chest. Tears dampened Cecil's shirt, but he didn't seem to mind. Inhaling that scent of Axe, Carlos felt some of his body relax. But that test was still in his backpack and it was still an F. He gave a little whimper and clung to the sides of Cecil's sweater. "Shh, it's okay," Cecil murmured into Carlos's hair. "It's okay. Everybody fails in that class sometimes. Ms. Jones is a jerk."

"Doesn't matter," Carlos muttered into Cecil's collarbone. "I don't know how I'm gonna get that grade back up before the end of the grading period. It's next week."

"You'll think of something." Cecil touched his lips to Carlos's forehead. "You're the smartest person I know."

"I don't wanna go home," Carlos replied, raising his head and glancing up at Cecil. "I can't see my parents right now." A bitter laugh left him and he rubbed his tear-stained face with his hand. "I'm such a mess."

Cecil cupped his face gently and stroked his thumbs across Carlos's cheeks. "No, you're not," he murmured soothingly, thumbing a tear from under Carlos's eye. "You just had a bad day. You're still my beautiful Carlos."

Sniffing, Carlos blushed slightly. "No," he began, "I'm not—"

"Yes, you are, don't argue with me." Cecil smiled fondly, kissing the tip of Carlos's nose. "You're beautiful to me, no matter what you think. You're the sweetest, kindest, most amazing person I know."

Carlos dragged a sleeve over his eyes again. "You're gonna make me cry again, Ceec," he warned in a trembly voice.

"I love it when you call me that," Cecil grinned in reply.

Carlos gazed at that caring grin and his whole being ached to kiss Cecil right there in the hall. But, then he glanced up at the clock on the wall, and his heart slammed into his chest. "Crap! I'm gonna be so late!" Carlos didn't have a car yet, so he had to take the bus home for now. However, he was about to miss it and if he missed it, he was screwed for sure. Why did this day keep getting worse?

"Wait, wait, wait." Cecil caught Carlos by the arm when he tried to hurry away. "You said you wanted to wait to go home a little while, right? Why don't you come over to my house?" He offered Carlos a kind questioning look from violet eyes.

Carlos paused. He was tempted, that much was certain. But... "I...I guess I could," he ventured. "But I need to tell my parents where I am and, I mean, I never met your family yet..."

"So meet them now," Cecil suggested cheerfully. "They've been dying to see you anyway. And you can call your parents right now and let them know you'll be with me." Then he wrinkled his nose. "They won't mind, will they?"

Shaking his head, Carlos turned more toward Cecil and less toward the school exit. "No, I don't think so." He curled his fingers in the hem of his shirt. "You're sure your family won't mind if I barge in on them?"

"Nah, they live for this kinda thing. The more unexpected, the better." Cecil flapped his hand uncaringly.

"...okay." Carlos managed a lopsided smile. "Thanks, Cecil."

"That's what boyfriends are for, right?" Cecil asked, shrugging.

Carlos's heart started doing backflips inside of him. "I'm so glad I have you," he mumbled, stretching on tiptoe to peck Cecil's lips.

Cecil squeaked in cute delight at the kiss, looking like he'd just been taken to Heaven. He really had it bad for Carlos. "I'm glad I have YOU," he replied, running his hands up and down Carlos's sides.

Together, they headed out of the school side by side, Cecil humming happily and Carlos leaning into him in gratitude. What would he have done without Cecil?

-X-X-X-

Cecil's car was a minty green Bug, you know, the kind kids would yell "punch bug!" at and start hitting each other? (why do kids play such weird games?) Anyway, that's what it was and really, it just screamed Cecil. The inside was nice and neat; there was a pair of fuzzy, mint-and-white dice dangling from the rearview mirror. Carlos fought the urge to flick one of them with a finger as they drove off out of the school's parking lot toward Cecil's house.

On the way there, Carlos dug his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to his mom:

TO: MOM

Going over to Cecil's for a while. Be back later. Love you

He waited with only a small amount of nervousness before she texted back.

TO:CARLOS

Ok. R you staying there for dinner?

Oh. He hadn't thought of that. Carlos glanced over at Cecil, who had a hand on the wheel and the other tapping a pattern on his dark skinny jeans. "Hey, Cecil?"

"Hm?"

"Is it okay if I stay over for dinner?"

"Sure!" Cecil answered with surprising enthusiasm (but really, that shouldn't have surprised Carlos.). "My mom loves when she has new people to try out her cooking."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, she's probably praying I'll bring someone home anyway."

"Okay." Carlos texted back a "yes" to his mom, then shoved his phone back into his pocket. Relief swamped him. It felt nice to be able to push something like an F in class to the back of his mind, at least for a while. He vowed to enjoy the night as much as possible. After all, it would be his first time meeting Cecil's family. With that, the unease came crawling back. What if they didn't like him? What if he wasn't what they expected for their son? He wasn't exactly cool or athletic or anything. All he had were good grades (well, sometimes. Stupid Government test) and the ability to make chemicals change color from memory of past experiments. Not really all that exciting or accomplished.

"You look worried again," Cecil remarked, sparing a glance over at Carlos.

"It's nothing, just..." Carlos studied his hands in his lap. "What if your family doesn't...like me?"

"They're gonna love you! My parents love everybody, trust me."

"But I'm not exactly the person they'd want their son to date, right?" Carlos asked. Cecil raised his eyebrows and Carlos went on, "I mean, I'm a huge science geek who isn't in any clubs or sports, or whatever. And you're you."

"The only club I'm in is the Unofficial Member of the Band Club, because I'm friends with Dana," Cecil pointed out playfully.

"Still. I'm not the amazing, good-looking football player every parent wants their child to date. And look at you." Carlos looked over Cecil's styled, ice-blonde hair and the flawless skin. "You're gorgeous."

A flush of pink blossomed in Cecil's face. "Th—thank you," he stammered, the way he always stammered when Carlos complimented him. "But, no offense, Carlos, you don't really see yourself all that well. You're exactly the person my parents would love me to date. You're incredibly smart and polite even to strangers, and I don't know how many times I gotta tell you you're beautiful before you start listening to me." Reaching over, he rested a free hand on Carlos's knee, rubbing lightly with his thumb. Carlos tried not to shiver. "They'll flip when they meet you. Probably start planning our wedding right there."

Carlos laughed then, heart lightening. "Wedding?"

"My mom doesn't think you can plan for something too early," Cecil explained. "Just don't mention I said that to her, or she'll think we're getting married for sure."

"Whatever you say."

-X-X-X-

As soon as Carlos stepped through the wide front door of Cecil's house, he was bombarded by a ball of black fur at his ankles. "Whoa!" he yelped and stumbled back, as the furry thing wrapped its paws around his left leg. "Cecil, what—?" He staggered until his back met Cecil's chest.

Cecil caught Carlos by the shoulders, laughing. "It's just Khoshekh! He's my cat. Well, technically, he's a family pet, but I found him in the garage one day so he's mine."

"Oh." Carlos tried to get his breathing back to normal as he gazed down at the almost-too-plump cat winding itself around his ankles. As he watched, Khoshekh glanced up at him, blinking wide, green eyes. "Hi, Khoshekh," he said unsurely, and leaned down to smooth a hand over the cat's forehead. A low purr vibrated up out of the cat's chest, making Carlos smile.

He was suddenly interrupted by a clattering from the kitchen down the hall ahead. Jumping, startled, he heard a ringing voice: "Cecil! Is that you?"

Cecil squeezed past Carlos and shut the door behind him. "Yeah, Mom, it's me!" he called back. "Hey, listen, I brought someon—"

"Honey, do you think you could help me with this real fast? Khoshekh keeps getting in the way when I cook and I need you to lock him in your room or something."

"Okay, I will, but listen, Mom, I brought—"

"Oh, and could you please tell your father to stop leaving his shoes on the floor everywhere? I almost broke my neck the other day, tripping over them."

"Sure, no problem. But, someone's here to—"

"Also, make sure you don't leave YOUR shoes all over the floor, dear!"

"MOM WILL YOU LISTEN?"

Carlos heard a smattering of clicking footsteps and a tall woman appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. Her sunlight-colored hair was piled in thick curls atop her head and her stylish, dark brown blouse matched her eyes. There was a wooden spoon in one hand. "Cecil, what did you—Oh." Her eyebrows hiked up at the sight of Carlos, standing uncertainly beside Cecil. Then a smile started to play over her lips. "Cecil, who's this?"

Cecil nudged the corner of the wall with his foot. "Mom, this is Carlos," he said and his mother freaked.

"Oh, Carlos!" Mrs. Palmer exclaimed cheerfully. "It's so good to meet you, honey! Come in, come in!" She waved at him to step farther into the house.

Carlos obeyed, stepping through the cheery, yellow-walled hall and stopping in front of her; to his left, another hall branched off to where he assumed bedrooms were. To the right, the living room opened up, with a flatscreen TV and dark-chocolate-brown sofas. He offered Mrs. Palmer a bashful smile. "Hi, Mrs. Palmer," he greeted.

"Oh, look at you!" Mrs. Palmer squealed delightedly (Cecil must take after his mother). "Cecil's told me all about you, dear, but he never mentioned how polite you are!"

"Thank you," Carlos replied, pushing a curl of hair out of his eyes absently.

"And so handsome too, Cecil!" Mrs. Palmer added, shooting her son a knowing look.

"Mommmmm," Cecil groaned, face bright red. "Please, stop."

Mrs. Palmer raised her hands in a who-me? gesture. "What? Am I embarrassing you in front of your boyfriend?" she asked teasingly.

"Mom, if you love me, you will stop talking now."

"All right, all right, sweetie, I'll stop. Now, Carlos," she continued, hands on her hips and the trace of age lines appearing on her face when she lifted her eyebrows. "Are you planning on staying for dinner, because I'll have you know I make the best taco salad in town, and that's what we're having tonight."

"Yeah," he answered, then hurriedly added, "I mean, if that's okay."

"No, no, it's perfectly fine! I'm happy to have the company." She patted his shoulder once, then turned her attention back to Cecil. "Now, Cecil, go lock that cat up, okay?" she said, pointing at where Khoshekh was now slinking along the wall behind the two boys. "He almost fell into the oven two minutes ago."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get him, Mom," Cecil replied, already bending down to scoop the cat up into his arms. "C'mon, Khoshekh," he muttered. He held Khoshekh against his chest and rubbed the car behind the ears, prompting another purr. He started down the hall to his room, sending Carlos a warm glance over his shoulder.

"Thanks again for letting me stay," Carlos told Mrs. Palmer, adjusting the strap of his backpack on his shoulder.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," she dismissed reassuringly. "Happy to have you. Now run off. I'm sure you'd rather be with Cecil than me." Nodding to him in a friendly, nearly-motherly manner, she headed back into the kitchen. The door swung shut behind her.

Carlos wasn't sure if it was her cheeriness or the obvious enthusiasm she shared with Cecil, but he decided he liked her. Venturing down the hall after Cecil, he glanced up just in time to glimpse the blonde disappearing through a door near the back. Maybe that was his room? Carlos felt a tingle in his stomach. It felt kinda...strange to be going into his boyfriend's bedroom. It wasn't like he and Cecil DID anything that could be considered "making out," het, but still. What if...?

These particular, rather enticing thoughts were broken off by a door swinging open abruptly to his right. Boots sounded on the hardwood floor as a boy wandered out, furiously texting on a blood-red cell phone. "Oh my god, really?" he was muttering to himself. "I told her that if she needed help on the Bio project, she could just ask me, and now I gotta do everything." Sighing, he stuck his phone back in his pocket, glanced up, and realized that he wasn't alone in the hall. He halted in surprise. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there...er...Who are you?"

Carlos tried to stop his mouth from falling open. It was just that, this boy... "I—I'm Carlos," he answered at last. "Cecil's boyfriend?"

"Ohhhh, of course!" the boy exclaimed. "Man, he talks about you all the time, you know? I thought he was going out of his mind for a while there."

Carlos was still gawking idiotically. He just couldn't believe how much this boy looked like Cecil! He could've been an exact copy of Carlos's boyfriend, except for a few small differences: he wore no glasses and his eyes were deep deep brown, almost black. He also had a clothing style that consisted mainly of boots and leather.

Carlos was about to say something else, when Cecil poked his head out of the room down the hall. "Carlos, are you coming?" he asked, then he noticed the other boy. He gave a huff of dramatic irritation and trudged out into the hall. "Great. You met the Lunatic of the Palmer Household."

"And you're dating the Weirdo of the Palmer Household," the boy added to Carlos helpfully.

Cecil ruffled the boy's hair into a mess of blonde. "Shut up, Kev."

"Make me, Ceec."

Cecil shot Carlos a look under his lashes. "Carlos, this is Kevin," he introduced the boy.

Kevin grinned broadly and slung an arm across Cecil's shoulders. "Annnnd?" he asked.

Cecil sighed. "My twin brother. Unfortunately."

"Amazingly!" Kevin cheered, and gave Cecil's shoulders a shake. A smile was working its way onto Cecil's face, despite his trying to act annoyed.

Carlos glanced back and forth between them in amazement. Next to each other, the resemblance was even more uncanny. "That's awesome!" he exclaimed. They both looked up at him at the same time, with the same lifted eyebrows, and the same curve to their lips. "I didn't know you had a twin, Cecil."

"That's because my twin is incredibly annoying," Cecil replied.

"And cuz he was afraid you'd think I was him and fall in love with the wrong person," Kevin put in. Cecil elbowed him in the side and he snickered. "Hey, don't worry. I'd never get in the way of your happiness." Batting his eyelashes at Cecil, he added, "I know you looooove him."

"Agh, stop talking." Cecil stuck his hands over his ears, face blooming into embarrassed crimson.

Carlos couldn't help but snigger to himself as Kevin poked Cecil in the side, making the blonde yelp. "You looooove him," Kevin sang again. "Admit it. C'mon, he's standing right there and you're breaking his heart by not saying it."

"Kevin, if I PAY you, will you leave the house for the night?" Cecil asked flatly.

Abruptly, Kevin released his brother. "Deal," he chirped. "I was gonna go out anyway. Gotta meet some friends who slacked on a project for school."

"Tell them they can keep you," Cecil joked.

"Ha ha, very funny."

Carlos's heart warmed at the brotherly banter and the affection the two shared. It was nice to see a different side of Cecil. "Well, it was nice to meet you," he said to Kevin, as the boy began to head past him.

"Same here, Carlos," Kevin replied. Then he flashed a smirk and leaned in to add in a too-loud whisper, "if he causes any trouble, threaten to read his diary. Works every time."

Cecil gaped in disbelief. "I do NOT own a diary!"

"It's under his bed, on the left side."

"KEVIN!"

Laughing, Kevin backed away with hands up in an innocent gesture. "Sorry, Ceec, I had to." Then he reached the hall that led to the front door. There were more footsteps and then his voice calling back, "hey, Mom! I'm going out to help Vanessa and Diego with a project! Be back soon, okay?"

"Okay, honey!" Mrs. Palmer's voice rang out in return. "Come home before dark!"

The door clicked open and then closed again. Carlos felt faintly jealous. He wished he had a car to be able to drive off whenever he wanted. Lucky Kevin. His thoughts were interrupted by Cecil snagging his sleeve, tugging lightly in question. "You can, um, stick your stuff in my room, if you want," Cecil offered, once Carlos had glanced over at him. He seemed almost apologetic. "Also, sorry you had to be scarred by Kevin on your first visit. He's always kinda nuts."

"I like him," Carlos replied. "It's awesome that you have a brother. I wish I wasn't an only child."

"Oh, then you can take him. Trust me, living with him is not as easy as meeting him."

"Aw, you know you love him," Carlos teased, poking Cecil in the stomach.

Cecil squeaked and rubbed at his stomach. "Do not," he argued like a toddler.

"Sure. Whatever you say." Carlos walked past Cecil, toward what he assumed was Cecil's room. Through the doorway, he could see a hint of dark walls and gray carpet. There was a fat bookshelf at the back wall. "So, this is your room?" he asked, approaching the doorway.

"Oh, um, yeah." Hurrying past Carlos, Cecil opened the door for him and stood aside. "It's a mess, sorry."

Carlos looked around and chuckled. "This is a mess?" There was only one thing out of place and that was a hoodie that had fallen off the back of a desk chair. Dropping his backpack against the wall beside the door, he ventured farther into the room. It was nice, like everything else Cecil owned. The navy walls matched his bedsheets, except for the stripe of purple across the top. Khoshekh was curling up in a little cat bed at the corner of the room, laying his tail across his nose. Carlos decided he liked the cat a lot already.

"You said you found Khoshekh in your garage?" he asked, awkwardly pushing out of his shoes and leaving them next to his bag.

"Yep! He was hiding under the car." Cecil tossed away his own shoes and flopped onto his bed. Leaning against the headboard and pillows, he stretched out his long legs. "My dad wanted to chase him out, but I got him to come out on his own. He likes me best."

"I can tell," Carlos remarked. Across the room, Khoshekh was mewing contentedly just at the sound of Cecil's voice.

Cecil fiddled with the bedsheets self-consciously. "Sooo, uh, what'd you think of Kevin?" he asked.

"He seems nice. Funny."

"Okay. I just..." Cecil trailed off sheepishly, then went on, "I always get worried about how people see us, because we look alike. We're not really the same person, though. I just thought that, maybe you..."

Carlos sensed the insecurity and smiled reassuringly at his boyfriend. "I get it, Cecil. I like you best, too."

Cecil had to look away, adorably shy. The way he bit his lip wreaked havoc on Carlos's mind. Without warning, he braced a hand on the mattress and bent to kiss Cecil once, softly. Cecil kissed back with a little hum of delight and when Carlos pulled away, the blonde's eyes were dazed. Reaching up for the back of Carlos's neck, Cecil brushed their noses together. "Come back."

Carlos let their foreheads rest together. "But this is, like, your bed," he laughed nervously.

Cecil huffed. "I'm not gonna attack you," he deadpanned. Then he switched to pouting up at his boyfriend with puppy-eyes. "I just wanna kiss from my perfect Carlos..."

"Moron." Carlos pressed their lips together again, a hand instinctively cradling Cecil's jaw. Cecil leaned up into it, sighing into Carlos's mouth and slipping fingers through dark hair. It started out the way their kisses always started; slow and gentle and tentative. Cecil was always careful with Carlos and Carlos was too shy to try anything with Cecil. But this time, he felt dizzy with Cecil's taste, like he was falling faster and faster. He could smell Cecil's Axe and feel fingertips gliding over the nape of his neck. But he wanted more. Horribly intense affection for the blonde boy in front of him hit him in a powerful wave. Carlos made a decision. In a brief flash of courage, he caught Cecil's lower lip in his teeth. The kiss changed entirely.

Cecil gasped, the sound crumbling inside of Carlos, and he was on the bed before he knew what was happening. He was Carlos, much too innocent to do anything like this. But now he was stretching out on top of Cecil, their stomachs pressed together, legs tangled, kissing desperately. Carlos's mind went blank. He bit Cecil's lip again and Cecil raked his fingers through Carlos's hair. The way he gasped into Carlos's mouth, like he couldn't get enough, was intoxicating. One hand shaped to the curve of Carlos's lower back, then snagged in his belt loop to pull him even closer. Struggling to find time to breathe, Carlos found that his hand had dropped to Cecil's waist, fingertips inching under the hem of his shirt. Cecil shuddered as Carlos pushed his hand higher and slid his palm along the slight ripple of Cecil's stomach.

"Cecil..." Carlos breathed the name between kisses. His hand was splayed on Cecil's chest now, bare skin hot under his touch. Cecil's sweater had bunched up to reveal a flash of ink on his torso. Carlos thought he saw trailing vines before Cecil claimed his mouth again in a searing kiss. All thoughts vanished. Hands were gripping the back of Carlos's shirt and his fingers couldn't stop exploring Cecil's skin under his shirt. In jerky, desperate motions, Cecil hooked a leg around Carlos's waist. Carlos went off-balance in return, hips accidentally dropping and pressing into Cecil's. It felt like sparks jolted through him; he almost stopped breathing when Cecil arched up at the intimate touch and whimpered.

Suddenly, the sound of Mrs. Palmer's voice coming from the kitchen jerked Carlos back to reality. "Cecil! Carlos! Dinner's almost ready, and your father will be home soon, Cecil!"

Cecil's eyes were wide from the close call, breathless and his blonde hair disheveled. "O—okay!" he called back, voice tripping over itself.

Carlos realized what he was doing: on top of Cecil with Cecil's shirt up to his chest and Cecil's body wrapped around his. Swallowing, he sat up and moved to sit next to Cecil instead. "S—sorry," he stammered. "I didn't mean to..." Then he saw Cecil sit up against the pillows and start to tug his shirt back into place. "Wow..."

Neck and lips still flushed from rough kissing, Cecil glanced up at Carlos questioningly. "What?" Then he followed Carlos's gaze. "Oh, yeah, um. These are my tattoos. Or some of them, anyway." A hesitant half-smile passed over his lips as he pulled his shirt back up to reveal his stomach and part of his chest.

Carlos's heart stopped beating. First of all, while Cecil wasn't exactly the type to work out, he still had just enough definition in his stomach and chest to make Carlos's mind go haywire. Second of all, his TATTOOS. They began with a single, black eye just above his waistband. Two lines split from the top of the eye and curled around his navel before rejoining; the line traveled up the center of his stomach and split into a myriad of smooth tentacles and more eyes at his chest. They were different shapes, but all lovely, in a strangely dark way. There was a single patch of pleasant beauty in the form of a rose over his heart.

Carlos stared and stared and stared. "Do you have more?" he asked suddenly.

"Yeah." Catching the back of his neckline, Cecil stripped his sweater off entirely.

Carlos nearly swooned at the undulating tentacles continuing their slithering path up Cecil's shoulders and wrapping around his arms. They ended with twin eyes at the insides of both wrists. Cecil pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "They stop halfway down my back too," he explained. Then he twisted his sweater in his grasp, a nervous habit. "You're not put off by them...are you?"

"They're amazing," Carlos replied, and Cecil relaxed again. Reaching out, Carlos trailed his fingers over the blooming rose on Cecil's chest. He felt Cecil shudder. "God, you're beautiful, Cecil."

"I...Thanks," Cecil mumbled.

"I mean it." Carlos smiled affectionately. Then he swallowed and leaned in, happy when Cecil met him halfway in a slow kiss. Their lips slotted together lazily, breaths already becoming heavier again. When Cecil ran his tongue lightly along Carlos's teeth and Carlos was afraid he'd shove Cecil back onto the bed again, he forced himself to break it. "Dinner," he breathed raggedly.

Cecil groaned despairingly. "But—"

"You're mom will come looking for us."

"Yeah, but can't we—?"

"No, we can't."

"I just—"

"Cecil, no."

"Ughhh, fine."

Carlos laughed. Yes, bad grades could definitely wait until later, if this was what he had to look forward to instead.


	2. Note

Also, a quick note. I was at a loss on how to spell Khoshekh, cuz I saw how the creators spelled it once and then forgot. This was pretty close though, I think, Sooo... XD Just letting you know in case the name surprised you.


End file.
